Sunday, August 26, 2007

Less Common Ammo in Ruger Mk. II's

Ruger Mk. II .22 LR Semi-Auto Pistol

I just got this email and I thought the answer was worth sharing. If any of you have any first hand knowledge about this, please jump in with comments. Thanks!!

Apologize for intruding but I ran across your site and cannot seem to find the answer to my question. Considering buying my wife a used Ruger I, II probably not a III because of the indicator problem I read. My question is will they all accept CB, shorts, LR, or maybe none will on the CB, shorts?

Thanks, Art, Florida

Hi Art,

On all magazine (clip) fed semi-auto pistols the overall length of the cartridge and the shape of the nose of the bullet are extremely important for reliable feeding and cycling. The amount of energy released by the cartridge is also critical as it has to cycle the slide (or bolt, in the case of the Ruger).

If you want to reliably shoot anything other than .22 long rifle in a handgun, I would recommend going to a revolver. I'd say get her a semi-auto for fun and plinking, and a revolver for other specialized cartridges. Let her shoot as many semi-autos as you can, she may prefer the feel of one over another. Rugers are very popular, but there are a number of excellent choices from Browning, Smith & Wesson, High Standard, Beretta and other manufacturers to consider, too.

The short rounds are not going to headspace properly, so there will be blow-by every time one is fired. The action will not cycle correctly on ANY .22 LR pistol having .22 Shrt or CB shot in it. The blow-by could shred the light cartridge metal and propel it back into the shooters face.

The only weapons that are OK with the various short rounds are certain old pump rifles.

Olympic Free Pistol shoots .22 Short, and all it's weapons are designed for the smaller round (and won't shoot LR). They are some of the most expensive pistols made, however.